Tel Aviv

Julie and I spent our last day of freedom before boarding the bus to the dig site separately -- she hung out at the beach and the Gilgal Hotel while I walked around the city.

 Tel Aviv is most famous for its beach. Our hotel was in the middle of the stretch. As I ended up with a lot of time, I probably should have walked away from Old Jaffa and the back again towards the old part of the city and passed each beach. Instead I turned left and walked towards Old Jaffa.

We were in Tel Aviv on a Saturday. Everyone said much more is open on Shabbat in Tel Aviv than in Jerusalem, plus we had to catch up with the group at the Tel Aviv airport, so it made the most sense to spend the day in Tel Aviv.

I still found many places were closed. Maybe I was in the wrong part of town, but it was a struggle finding a place to eat. I settled on a chain restaurant selling salads called Cafe Cafe.

One of my main goals for Tel Aviv was to take a Graffiti Tour offered by Abraham Hostels. That merits its own post as I took many pictures.

As for Tel Aviv, I wandered around the Old Port, but it was very quiet. A few galleries were open. I saw a couple of small tour groups. A few vendors were set up in the main square. Overall I felt as if I had the place to myself.

I also walked past the beaches. In hindsight, I should have at least stuck my toes in the water. On one beach there was a set of exercise equipment similar to what is now in our local park. As is almost always the case, I saw someone on the "stepper," but not on the other pieces.

It was very hot that day. I had fallen in the habit of wearing "modest" attire and opted for capris instead of shorts. I did wear a tank top, and burned the tops of my shoulders. I would have been fine walking around town wearing shorts.

I found a couple of quiet places and read on the Kindle. I didn't appreciate the solitude enough at the time, but once I went to the Kibbutz I no longer had the luxury of reading while eating. I tried to read a few pages each night, but more often than not my eyelids closed before finishing a chapter. 

I arrived at Abraham Hostel (the place where the tour was starting) a couple of hours early. I enjoyed their air conditioning and WiFi. I'm sure I could have made better use of the day, but sometimes just being is the best way to make use of a day. 

We had stayed at the Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem, but the one in Tel Aviv was booked for the date we needed so we stayed at the Gilgal Hotel. The two hotels could not have been more different. The Gilgal was swanky, and only a half a block from the beach. Other than the buffet breakfast, I did not see another guest whereas at Abraham Hostel, people were always hanging about in the lobby and other public spaces making new friends. The Abraham Hostel was clean and we each had a single room, but overall it had a young, eclectic, electric, international vibe. Both offered concierge service and a continental breakfast. At the Gilgal I sat at a table by myself. At Abraham Hostel it was communal dining. Nothing wrong with either. 


At the end, Julie asked me where I would prefer to stay "next time," a concept I could not fathom at the time since I don't plan to ever return to Israel. The question was really which type of place would I want to stay at on future trips. The answer is someplace in-between. Abraham Hostel was nice, but my room faced a busy street and was near the elevator. People walked by the room at all hours of the night talking as they were heading out (despite the signs saying don't do that), which made getting a good night's sleep a challenge. The Gilgal was silent, but I felt I needed to dress up for breakfast.

I do love a good free breakfast to start the day.

Upon further reflection my notes for the day read: "really beat. Resting. After tour the craziness begins." 

Maybe I did appreciate the solitude in the moment after all.